A recent Ventura County hit-and-run that occurred in the Thousand Oaks High School parking lot left a school activities assistant, Lisa Solis, in critical condition. The incident occurred during a Friday night basketball game at the school. According to KTLA 5 News, Solis confronted a 16-year-old male student after she caught him stealing from the concession stand at the game.

After Solis confronted the student, he got into his car with four other passengers. Solis stood in front of the car and told the student not to leave because of the suspected stealing. Police reported that the student instead “proceeded to drive his vehicle, ‘deliberately’ striking Solis, running her over, and [fled] the scene.”

Solis was immediately taken to the hospital in critical condition from her serious personal injuries suffered in this intentional Thousand Oaks hit-and-run. Police were able to locate the vehicle and driver near his home, and he was detained on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

It is incredibly sad that the student in this story chose to act in a way that would harm another person. In this intentional hit-and-run, the young student is likely to be facing charges not only for intentionally hitting Solis, but also for fleeing the scene after he hit her. It is against the law for a person to leave the scene of an accident without stopping to provide their information. Because the student left the scene after hitting Solis, he can face this additional criminal charge.

In addition to any criminal charges the student will also likely face a personal injury claim made against him on behalf of the Solis who was seriously injured in this Thousand Oaks hit-and-run accident. Since the young driver intentionally caused Solis’ injuries, he will be responsible to cover the extensive costs of her injuries. Because the driver was a minor, he and his parents can be liable for damages in a personal injury claim. Under California law, parents are “vicariously liable” for minor’s damages, meaning they are liable even though they did not cause the harm. Parents and children are “joint and severally liable” which means when a person is injured by a minor driver the injured person can sue the child, the parent, or both.

Because Ms. Solis was in critical condition, it is likely her medical and recovery expenses will be very high, and she deserves to be compensated for those costs.

She and her family should immediately contact an experienced Thousand Oaks personal injury attorney who can investigate the possible sources to help her obtain personal injury damages including relevant insurance coverages and personal liability. We hope she is able to make a complete recovery after this incident.

At Walch Law, our attorneys have been handling personal injury claims, including hit-and-run accidents, in Ventura County and throughout Southern California for over 30 years. If you or someone you love has been injured in any type of car accident, call us now for a free case consultation at 866-INJURY-2 [866-465-8792].

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